Its literal
translation is "jockey" but the word jinitera goes much deeper than that.
Sure, there are those that'll say that a jinitera is nothing more than
a prostitute but I beg to differ. You should know that prostitution is
technically illegal in Cuba and great efforts have been made to get hardened
prostitutes off the streets. You will routinely see police checking girls'
'carnets' (Cuban ID's) to see if they have any record of prostitution.
Three year jail sentences are not unheard of. Also, if you sleep with
a Cuban less than 18 years of age, you can be looking at a hefty jail
sentence yourself. The legal age of consent in Cuba is 16-years old but
that is only for activity between Cubanos, not Cubanos and tourists. See
our Crime in Cuba section for more
information.

Homosexuality is becoming more and more tolerated
and transvestites can be seen lining the sidewalks of La Quinta and the
Malecon. Better look out for those Adam's Apples! Oddly enough, lesbianism
("tortilleras") is not very prevalent among Cubanas.
Jinitera(o) can refer to any Cuban female that accompanies a tourist in
the hopes of either being taken out to places they can otherwise never
afford, for a small gift the next day or better yet, an offer of marriage.
Mind you, this works both ways. Foreign women (with young, handsome Cuban
men) arm in arm are routinely spotted.
Keep in mind that this is a communist country and salaries average $US10
- 20 a MONTH.
So, the nice tourist spots are out of the question and a gift of $20,
$30, $50 or whatever the next morning can go a long way for a Cubana(o)
and their families. Even more enticing to them can be the hope of meeting
a tourist and being "whisked away" to another country.

Please
don't confuse a hardened professional prostitute (yes, there are some
of those too) with a jinitera. Prostitutes can be found all over the world,
in any city, in any small town (check your local paper for "massage" places).
It's nothing new. Jiniteras are somewhat unique to Cuba, born out of economic
necessity and of living so many years in a closed society.

In
Cuba, there are:

NO
Go-Go Bars

NO
Strip Joints

NO
massage parlors

NO
bordellos

NO
XXX movie houses

In
other words, this is not the place to come if you're looking for
blatant sexual entertainment. Stay in North America, Europe or go
to Thailand where the government has everything all "laid" out for
you.....